Does Sheffield need the Star?

[BillyWhiz 10]

We often make fun of the Star on here but is it still really a necessity for many Sheffielders?

 

Would we miss it if it was gone?

 

Unfortunately not everyone can afford toilet paper:hihi:

[zongamin 10]

Good local newspapers provide a valuable service to their communities - they provide a voice for citizen's concerns, a focus for local campaigns and help to hold local politicians to account.

 

The Star does none of these things. Unlike quality local newspapers like the Hull Daily Mail or Manchester Evening Post is full of nothing but reports of chip pan and car fires. It is largely irrelevant, and probably wont survive much longer unless big changes are made.

[Aries22 10]

It would be sad if an old sheffield tradition was lost. I remember my dad read the star every night, and my brother still does. Never go to sheffield after 4 pm but the sight of the men on street corner's shouting Star is still in my memory.

[Minimo 59]

Who is to blame for the depressing state of it these days?

Owners, editor, reporters?

[deemee 10]

Who is to blame for the depressing state of it these days?

Owners, editor, reporters?

 

Laziness by all...

[sevenhills 10]

The real sad day was in March 1986 when the Morning Telegraph closed. It had fantastic sports pages and it spurred the Star journalists on to have a morning paper in the same city to compete with. The end of competition, and cost cutting by Johnson Press, has brought complacency and poor content. The forum is good fun but who will cover local courts and councils and unveil corruption and hold authority to account if there is not a vibrant local press?

[Mr Nobody 10]

The Star like a lot of other Johnson press titles is suffering.

 

Firstly because it has been rather arrogant to assume that there are no other alternatives. Secondly because of a yearning for instant news like the internet and news channels. Add to that a decline in advertising revenue and have trouble.

 

Has anyone read or seen Profile magazine recently? It is a sister title of The Star. Had not seen it for a year or so because i'm not sure how many they print these days. I was at the Bakewell show which I think The Star sponsors and Profile do the show magazine. They got EVERY phone number of EVERY business advertising wrong for The Bakewell show. The editor is Martin Somebody who also writes for The Star. Either he is not very good or they have cut back on proof-readers.

 

Very embarrassing and the advertisers were somewhat bemused.

 

But cutbacks equals crap o all The Star titles.

[SGibb 10]

i think we should

[badwolf 10]

Good local newspapers provide a valuable service to their communities - they provide a voice for citizen's concerns, a focus for local campaigns and help to hold local politicians to account.

 

The Star does none of these things. Unlike quality local newspapers like the Hull Daily Mail or Manchester Evening Post is full of nothing but reports of chip pan and car fires. It is largely irrelevant, and probably wont survive much longer unless big changes are made.

 

Funny you should say that!

 

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Car-torched-on-driveway.5533052.jp

[sevenhills 10]

Re errors in Profile: all the pages for this are now done by the Press Association in Hull - probably something to do with all those staff that were made redundant at The Star last year. And now there is no-one in Sheffield to check the pages, there are mistakes all over the magazine. Dare say advertisers and the Bakewell Show people won't be impressed.

[Swiller 10]

If the Star sells 47,000 copies a day then that is many times more than people who use the Forum on a regular basis.

 

I work for a sister newspaper of the Star in Lincolnshire (came from Sheff originally) and a circulation of 47,000 would generate approximately 122,200 readers (approx 2.8 readers per copy/household as specified by the Newspaper Society for a bought paper).

 

On a daily basis 6 days a week, this equates to 733,200 readers per copy. That's an impressive figure whichever way you look at it. I wonder what the forum boasts on a weekly basis for page impressions, views, unique visitors etc?

[Oddgitt 10]

Never read it. Don't think much to the opinions or integrity of one of their reporters either so never will.

 

Hasn't got much of a rep on here, has it?!